Quad

Head-to-head

U. California-Riverside
Northern Illinois

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. California-Riverside graduates 15 pts more of its students than Northern Illinois (79% vs. 64%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    Northern Illinois costs about $8.1K less per year on average than U. California-Riverside ($15,527 vs. $23,650, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    U. California-Riverside has 10 pts more first-gen students than Northern Illinois (48% vs. 38%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    U. California-Riverside grads earn $9.9K more ten years out than Northern Illinois's ($67,699 vs. $57,808)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    U. California-Riverside has 2.0× as many undergrads as Northern Illinois

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    Northern Illinois's grants cover 48% of its full price on average, vs. 44% at U. California-Riverside

    Aid generosity

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Northern Illinois admits 70%, U. California-Riverside 76%; both have the same yield, 12%.

Acceptance rate
U. California-Riverside76%
Northern Illinois70%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. California-RiversideSelective
  • Northern IllinoisAccessible
SAT middle 50%
U. California-RiversideTest-blind
Northern IllinoisTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. California-RiversideRigor and GPA very important51%
  • Northern IllinoisGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. California-Riverside is twice Northern Illinois's size; both have the same Pell share, 47%.

Undergrads
U. California-Riverside22.6K
Northern Illinois11.3K
Pell Grant share
U. California-Riverside47%
Northern Illinois47%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at U. California-Riverside, and Psychology at Northern Illinois.

Students per faculty member
U. California-Riverside22 to 1
Northern Illinois15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. California-RiversideBusiness Administration and Management, General16%
  • Northern IllinoisPsychology, General9%

What each costs

Northern Illinois costs about $8.1K less a year than U. California-Riverside on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. California-Riverside$23.7K
Northern Illinois$15.5K
Aid generosity
U. California-Riverside44%
Northern Illinois48%

What each pays off

U. California-Riverside's former students earn more, a median $67.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. California-Riverside$67.7K
Northern Illinois$57.8K
Graduation rate
U. California-Riverside79%
Northern Illinois64%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. California-RiversideGrowing+61%
  • Northern IllinoisGrowing+19%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;University of California-Riverside Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;University of California-Riverside Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why